It didn’t matter none. I had me $54 and some change after all the taxes, and that was a lot of money for doing something I loved, something that could show the courts I’d earned my freedom.
“Let’s go to town, ol’ girl.”
***
I tethered Junia to a post behind the Company store and walked around the front.
Bonnie was down on her knees feeding Wrenna’s rooster out of the palm of her hand. I watched, fascinated the bad-tempered bird would let her. A few feet away, Perry Gillis and a few other miners laughed. Some of the men yelled at Gillis to leave the girls alone.
Several times, Gillis taunted the young girl by taking a step out into the street toward her. The rooster flew up at him, only to retreat back to Bonnie, but not before Gillis grabbed one of its tail feathers and yelled, “Look, fellers. Bonnie’s wanting herself some cock. I got your cock righ’ here, girlie.” He rubbed the feather over his crotch. Chortles erupted from the small group, but a few men turned away from Gillis, disgusted with the miner’s crude display.
Barefoot, Wrenna watched silently from the street, seemingly unmoved.
I stepped around Bonnie and the bird. “Afternoon, Bonnie,” I called out a greeting.
“Hey, Honey.” She glanced up at me, grinning, ignoring the men’s raucous jeers. “Finished your latest. The Undset read. Sure was good. That Vigdis gal was somethin’ else. Downright tough.”
A fresh bruise darkened her neck along with new scratches. A safety pin was fastened to her overalls, holding the broken straps together.
“Tommie likes my sunflower seeds,” she said, pulling out a seed from her bib pocket. “Yessiree, done made myself a new friend…haven’t I, Tommie?” The rooster took a seed from her, then sounded an excited tuck-tuck-tuck, thinking he’d made a pal too. Bonnie lightly stroked his tall red comb, glided her coal-blackened fingers down his white-feathered back. “You’re a handsome boy, Tommie. You watch after Wrenna real good. Maybe you can look after me too…huh, handsome boy?” Bonnie stretched out an arm and tickled his wattle.
Clucking softly to the bird, she dropped a seed onto the ground. The rooster shuffled up to her sideways, preening, brushing his feathers against her hand, then let out a stream of high-pitched tu-tu-tu’s and tossed the treat back to her.
Bonnie chuckled and picked up the gift while the miners guffawed.
Wrenna sang out a lilting, “Coo-coo.” Tommie startled and made a high-pitched squawk before flying to her side.
I watched as they walked out of town, the rooster herding Wrenna, dipping a spread wing toward her while dashing from one side to the other, circling the young child, leading in front and then nudging from behind, crowing low, guiding her to safety.
Bonnie stared after them, pouring sunflower seeds from one hand to the other. For the first time I saw that beneath her mask of coal dust and hard toil, the young woman was beaming. And a small smile tugged at my lips as I caught my reflection in the shop glass window. I tucked loose hair behind my ear to make myself presentable before going inside.
Eddie stuck his head out the Company store door, and yelled, “Mattie called and said to tell you miners he needs a few boys to cut short their dinner breaks. Says he’s got trouble in the hole.”
The men grumbled, while a few hurried to their trucks.
“See you Friday,” I told Bonnie before I headed into the store, but she didn’t hear. Her eyes were nailed to the girl and her rooster.
Francis waved when I walked by the counter, and I couldn’t stop smiling, sneaking sideway glances, seeing his eyes on me as I shopped.
Waiting in line at the cash register, a woman bought butter and flour. The man in front of me said, “Francis, cash my check for me.” I watched as Francis counted out Company scrip to the miner in return, knowing that in the end, King Coal owned the Kentucky working man.